Wanderingdragon wrote:As usual I feel John is applying external machanics with internal theory. The truth is it is more like expand and release.
Bao wrote:"Kai/he is in every movement"
Open/kai for expanding, Close/He when releasing.
This is how you can interpret a movement as "Brush knee". You pull back your arm and expand. When you go forward, you "close" the posture to stabilise.
This might be more in tune with standard mechanics, but I think both ways of applying theory is fine. When there is compress, there is expansion. When there is expansion, there is compression. In a body there is always movement and counter movement. So it depends much on what part of your body you are looking at and how.
The problem is sometime Kai/He doesn't suit for the movement. For example, The Taiji "diagonal fly":
1. You move your right palm next to your left waist. At this moment, your left palm is in front of your face. You are in side empty stance.
2. You strike your right arm out to your right. At the same time you pull your left arm to your left. You step into bow-arrow stance.
By using your definition,
- 1 is Kai (but the body is compressed),
- 2 is He (but the body is expanded).
By using inhale/exhale definition,
- 1 is inhale (but the lung is compressed),
- 2 is exhale (but the lung is expanded).
By using my definition,
- 1 is compress,
- 2 is release (expand).
Crow weep in the dark. Tide bellow in the north wind. How lonesome the world.